Arguably, the Holometabola might be considered an unranked clade instead, and be divided into numerous superorders to signify the close relationships of certain holometabolan groups.

[2] The Mecoptera (scorpionflies) were formerly included here too by some authors, but they actually belong to the Mecopteroidea (or Antliophora), the holometabolan clade containing also true flies and fleas.

Adult neuropteridans range in size from that of a midge to that of a large dragonfly (15 cm (5.9 in) wingspan); the largest species tend to resemble drab, clumsily flying damselflies.

These are of an indeterminate but probably rather basal position; thus the single genus Rafaeliana from the Early Cretaceous Santana Formation's Crato Member in Brazil might for the time being be better placed in the Neuropterida directly, without assigning it to an order, until relatives are found and/or its systematic position gets resolved better.

[3] A phylogenomic analysis published in 2023 confirmed the topology of the neuropterid orders and found the relationships between the families of Neuropterida as shown in the following phylogenetic tree.